Help me, Potter
by Sly-Sama
Summary: Harry's stuck on desk duty because he's reckless, Malfoy works down in the Department of Mysteries and his working on something this side of legal and needs someone's help; he enlists Harry. Quite possibly Dubious Consent. Male x Male, don't like it you're in the wrong place. Draco x Astoria brief. Harry x Ginny brief. Ron x Hermione background married.


Author's note: ~these are thoughts~

Dubious consent

Yawn.

His hand came up to cover the jaw cracking yawn from view, even though he was the only one still in the department this late at night—over-time on desk work, not his favourite. He rocked back on his chair as he yawned again and flailed as the legs went further back then he could handle; he grasped the desk before him wildly just as the door flew open.

His head came up as it slammed into the opposite wall, his body jumping and heart pounding as he was put steadily back onto all four chair legs, 'Malfoy, what are you doing here?' he sighed tiredly, scrubbing at his wayward strands.

'I could ask the same of you, Potter.' His eyebrow rose as per-usual.

'I happen to work in this department, in this office; you on the other hand do not. What do you want?'

'Well at least I'm not stuck on desk job duty. I need your help as a matter of fact.'

He glared at the blonde for speaking about his recent situation; because yes he was stuck on desk duty, ever since he'd done something against the books on a dangerous case and could have easily gotten himself killed; they were all still so uptight. 'My help, you need my help in the Department of Mysteries?' Malfoy nodded empathically, not moving from his position at the opened doorway. 'What the hell for?'

'Uh…' Malfoy seemed to flail for something to say and merely stared with a suspicious smile gracing his pale features. Harry's eyes narrowed as he stood, scrubbing across his eyes as they blurred momentarily behind his silver frames.

'Malfoy, look I have a lot of paperwork to do.' He grouched, waving his hand down at the three piles of actual existing paperwork on his desk. 'If it's got nothing to do with the Auror Office, get lost.' He went to seat himself back in his uncomfortable chair but was held up by his forearm by thin fingers; a ring glinting on one.

'I can't ask anyone else; I need your help Potter.'

Harry took another tired-out breath, eyes staring down at the hand that quickly retreated from his person and stabbed into a lab coat pocket. He still didn't understand how the blonde prat could have become a researcher for the Department of Mysteries but the prat did a good, fantastic job rather that the Minister was keeping him on his toes down there; finely paid too by the sounds of it.

He scrubbed across his face, temporarily removing his glasses; he stared up at the blurred face across from him, 'Fine' he grouched, 'but if I don't get these papers done by midday tomorrow…' He replaced them back on his face as he walked to the doorway ahead of the blonde, 'I'm blaming it on you.' He walked around the corner to the Elevator with the blonde chuckling behind him.

'Fine, fine' the prat pressed the button for the Department of Mysteries and they took the empty elevator down the many departments between, in silence. When they stepped out into the hallway and walked through the revolving circle of blank doors, standing for only 30 seconds before Malfoy opened the correct door to his own department; Harry was immediately pushed into a lab desk; his back hitting the hard marble, he groaned and went to snap angrily but his eyes widened instead as a tongue invaded his opened mouth and drove something inside it.

He swallowed unconsciously and started to hack as he thrust the blonde from him angrily; he glared as he heaved breaths. 'Malfoy!?' He yelled. 'What the hell did you just put into my mouth?!' He was grasping at his throat.

Malfoy smiled innocently, a little apologetically but he had more of an air of a researcher waiting for the results to manifest. Harry continued to glare as he started to feel his body heat; making him feel uncomfortably warm, he started to unbutton the first few buttons on his collared shirt, loosening his work tie.

He hated when Malfoy showed emotions, it made him suspicious though his smile sometimes didn't constitute anything but happiness and amusement; which was nice and his embarrassed smile was something Harry found somewhat attractive; he jerked.

His emerald eyes worked their way back up from the floor, 'Malfoy' he growled.

The same emotion was displayed there, but he was a few paces closer. Harry pushed himself back further into the laboratory desk; his body was getting increasingly warmer.

'Please tell me you didn't give me anything experimental?!' he screeched, thrusting his hand against his chest where he could feel his heart beat thudding against his ribcage. Malfoy's hand came forward and pressed over the quivering heart, his head tilted inquisitively sideways; he looked almost child-like, maybe even a little worried. 'Malfoy, for fuck sake answer me!' He tried to push the other back again but his hands were caught in the pale thin fingered hands.

'Feeling a bit warm?' He questioned.

Harry grit his teeth, his jaw working.

'Feeling a bit…uncomfortable?' He questioned.

Harry ground his jaw in anger even though at these words his body felt the need to jerk it's lower-half forward; damn the prat, damn the prat for whispering like he was in a seductive-esk way. What the fuck was this?!

'I'm going to hit you when this is through, understand me Malfoy?! There won't be anywhere you could go that I won't be able to hunt you down and find you. You are going to pa—Mmmph!' Harry's eyes widened behind his frames; Malfoy's lips pressed to his again, this time there was no pill accompanying the tongue that invaded his mouth for it slipped against his own and tangled with the wet muscle to cause Harry to groan and his lower body to bounce forward again—this time straight into a hardening covered appendage.

~Oh~ Harry thought, his own hardening beneath his trousers.

'Mmm' Malfoy groaned into his mouth, jerking those thin trousered long legs forward, pressing their equally hardening arousals together; he rubbed them and Harry couldn't help his own moan in answer of the actions—his hands were now down on the desk, pressed onto the marble by Malfoy's. This of course was why their arousals were so closely pressed together; had Malfoy taken this drug too? He wondered absently.

His body was getting caught up in the conclusion it wanted, in the opportunity it was being given; it wanted the arousal so closely pressed to it. But was Malfoy's aim here?

'Ohhh' Harry moaned loudly.

Malfoy's was just as loud and accompanied by one hand leaving Harry's unresponsive to fumblingly find Harry's trouser zipper.

'Hey Malfoy I was curious about-?! Oh, wow! Sorry, I'll come back later! Sorry to interrupt!' Their bodies had jerked and Malfoy's lips had left his, the blonde head turning in the direction of one of his colleague's as they quickly left back the same way they'd abruptly come in, completely silent, nothing left in view but the coat tails of his lab coat turning the corner wall.

'Hah' the blonde head slipped to his shoulder for a moment and Harry completely froze, hand quaveringly coming up at the opportunity. 'No' Harry jumped and then jumped again as his hand was slammed down on the desk and his pants were thrust down to his thighs; both of them. He froze again when the blonde head slipped down to crotch level and a pink tongue poked out to run wetly across the bobbing pink appendage.

'Hah!' His eyes were wide as he stared down at that head, it was inconceivable, Malfoy, tonguing Harry's hard shaft? Fuck, he'd dreamed it once or twice, after he'd had one or two more beers then he should have but this, those didn't compare with it actually happening; but why was it happening?! 'Mal—!' His hips jerked, hands wanting to move to grasp the white strands but they were glued to the desk seemingly by an unspoken spell by Malfoy at some point, so he couldn't. He clenched the fingers as much as he could around the edge of the desk as the white head dipped and his second head was taken into a sweetened, hot mouth.

~Fuck~

He couldn't move his eyes from the bobbing head, couldn't blink away from it. His nails were steadily trying to claw marks into the marble of the prat's desk. This couldn't really be happening, he couldn't really be having Malfoy enthusiastically sucking his cock in the department of mysteries late at night, he couldn't be, he just couldn't be; he must have fallen asleep at his desk and he was having one of those weird dreams he'd been having every once and a while recently. After all…Why on earth would Malfoy do this? Why the fuck would Malfoy want his help?

And for fuck sake Malfoy was married, MARRIED.

…Not to mention Harry wasn't even gay.

Which was why this situation became even stranger when he found himself with his cock balls deep inside Malfoy's tight channel, his hardened cock being clenched by clenching muscles; they were trying to draw him further in but the blonde had all 8 inches of him already inside him. The night got stranger and stranger as it progressed beyond Harry doing Malfoy more than three times across the blonde's own desk. He was pretty sure if he could think up a coherent thought he'd probably done Malfoy about 10 times, in succession; what fucking drug was this? What in seven hells was THIS?!

He jerked as he came again and Malfoy's colleague came back with his words echoing a head of him, perhaps some sort of warning; Malfoy jerked away from Harry, thrusting both their pants back up with magic and straightening his lab coat.

'You know…' Harry breathed, 'If you wanted me to fuck you, you could have just asked.' His body started to go limp, his eyesight unsteady as Malfoy's head levelled up on him, hands frozen on the lapels of his lab coat, eyes wide; then Harry dropped to the floor, body out cold, eyes rolled back in his head.

'Fuck.'

'Ah, you were still fucking…'

'Hmm…Help me get him back to his office, Weather.' He scrubbed across his face in weariness as the brunette helped him pick Potter up off the floor.

'Uh…'

'Don't Lyka, just…don't.' He breathed heavily, pressing his hands to his back as they dropped Potter heavily back into his office chair. The dark head lolled sideways and then with a thump fell onto the desk—there was groan. 'Fuck, come on!' He rushed the brunette from the office and closed the door just as they heard a thump and a curse.

[ ]

'Uhhh Fuck' Harry grabbed at his head as he dragged himself back into his chair, stinging eyes blinking around him, squinting through angled glasses. He fixed them with an air of annoyance as he repositioned himself at his desk. 'FUCK' he swore heatedly as he dropped his head to the papers half written on before him—he rubbed his forehead across them as images assaulted him. ~So it was just a fucking dream~ 'What is up with these lately?' he groused into the reports, hands grasping at his desk.

~Why would I even say that..?~ ~I don't want to fuck Malfoy…~

Even his thoughts sounded unclear in that department, what with recent imagery developments.

[ ]

He jumped awake when something was slammed onto his desk; he flew back against his chair and almost had himself toppling backwards. 'Gees, Harry, watch it!' He was thrust back onto the ground by a hand heavily falling to his chair. 'You didn't stay here again last night did you?'

Harry blinked up at his friend, 'Huh?'

'The reports mate; you didn't stay here to finish them again did you? This is why Ginny's staying at Mum's again, remember?' He was frowning, cradling his own coffee. Harry blinked again at his best friend incomprehensibly, the man sighed, swooping down on the mug on the desk and thrusting it out to Harry, 'Drink' he said empathically.

Harry did and Ron repeated himself.

'Oh' Harry mumbled, staring downcast into his bitter sweetened coffee. 'They need to be finished by midday today…I remember yeah…' he grumbled around the rim of the mug before turning his eyes up at his friend's blue, lips still touching the rim, 'Ron I don't think Gin and I are going to be getting married…'

Ron started to shake his head, 'Yeah I figured, it's alright mate no need for the awkward looks over the rim of your coffee, curtesy of Malfoy by the way, I was at Mum's the other day and overheard them in the kitchen; Ginny sounded pretty serious when she said she didn't want to marry you, saying something about not wanting to be home alone most nights and constantly worrying about whether or not you're going to come home alive.'

'Sorry' Harry stared down at the dark liquid in silence and then he startled, dropping the mug down on the desk, that it splashed a blob of coffee onto one of the unfinished reports, 'Did you just say curtesy of Malfoy?'

'Uh…Yeah…? He was heading this way to deliver it to you; I said I was on my way to see if you were in already and he handed it to me; did you do something for him? Malfoy only usually gives things to people when they do something for him.' Ron was frowning and Harry swallowed thickly, feeling his skin heat beneath his collar, he grabbed at it and pulled it a few times to release a little of the heat, under Ron's scrutinising look, then laughed awkwardly.

'Not that I can think of…No…Maybe he wants something?'

It was, definitely, a dream…right?

'Mm.' Ron nodded, still staring suspiciously.

'You just wanted to see if I was here, or did you want something specific from me Ron?' He tried to lighten the mood and shift it so asked something slightly accusatory.

Ron scrubbed across his neck and looked briefly elsewhere, 'Worried about you…But I was wondering if you'd come have lunch with me and Hermione today, we've something to tell you.'

Harry blinked, 'something…to tell me?'

Ron nodded, purposefully sipping at his coffee.

'Alright…' Harry said slowly, eyes intense on his auburn haired best friend.

'Brilliant, I'll let you get back to those dreadful things and help Filis with this Quidditch issue he's having; boy's a complete novice. See you later Harry.' He waved over his shoulder as he left and Harry took in a large sigh; Ron had one of the better jobs he reckoned, being promoted a little while ago to Head of British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He wondered briefly as he turned back to the numerous reports whether this "news" had anything to do with that muggle test he'd seen in their bathroom bin half covered in tissues and rubbish?

He heaved a sigh and took up the coffee mug, sipping at the piping hot liquid before realising and slamming it back down to the table; he glared at it for at least a minute before another person deigned to approach his "dark-aura" encased desk.

'I know they're tedious and obviously just a punishment from the Minister and your Auror Head for being suicidal but no need to stare at them with such venom Potter. Quicker you get them done the quicker you'll get let off desk duty right?' Harry's eyes slowly moved up to stare incredulously at the smiling features.

'I had Weasley deliver the coffee since I actually had something to do, do you like it? I put five sugars in there, figured with your sweet tooth you'd like one or two more sugars than you usually have in it, you know.' He waved to the papers. 'Which still boggles me, if you're going to have coffee it needs to be black and bitter; you might as well drink one of those muggle energy drinks.' He laughed, 'or just eat some sugar.'

Harry continued to stare at him, incredulously. His heart started to beat and his skin started to prickle with hotness as he kept his eyes on the blonde steadily rising his eyebrows at Harry's lack of response.

'You don't like it?' He asked, his silver eyes moving toward the mug and back.

'It's glorious, what do you want?' He grouched, spinning his head back to the reports and stabbing his quill into the ink pot.

'I don't want anything, why does everyone think I want something when I give them coffee?'

Harry flicked his eyes back with his eyebrows drawn inwards, 'Seriously?' He asked.

'Yes, I'm very serious.' He snapped.

'Because you **do** always want something' He explained, shaking his head as he turned again back to his reports and jammed the nib of his ink soaked quill onto the paper. He wasn't going to be let off desk duty when he was finished with these but if he didn't finish these today like he was charged to do then he'd be doing even more mismatched reports then he really wanted too; after all these were other Auror's reports, ones that hadn't quite matched up with their completed missions—this was usually someone else's job but since, yes he was being punished, it was now temporarily his. Joy.

'So…what do you want?' Harry asked, keeping his voice steady and images of his dream in relative check as he gripped his quill hard, scribbling across the parchment.

'I don't want **anything**!' He yelled, Harry could have sworn the blonde had almost been about to stamp his foot too. Harry held his hand up when shouts echoed around the office from just arrived Auror's trying to find that days mission slips.

'No need to yell, so you just decided to give me coffee, with an added sugar by the way, and then just came to my station to ask if I liked it? You honestly want nothing?' He turned and stared at the blonde like he was himself, delusional.

'I'm not allowed to do that?' He asked, his features weren't smiling anymore. 'We aren't enemies anymore, we work together.' He went on, frowning down at the coffee mug.

Harry stared up, 'Uh…' He wasn't sure what to say to that, his collar still unbearably heated, 'I suppose, no, but we don't work together Malfoy, you work seven floors below me, in the Department of Mysteries. To come up here for the single purpose of giving coffee or wanting to ask if I liked your coffee that Ron handed me, is just weird.' He shrugged.

Malfoy glared back at his response. Harry could see the muscles of his jaw working beneath the taught unblemished skin. The blonde heaved an annoyed sigh before moving his glare to the half empty mug of black liquid. 'Fine, if everyone always wants me to have something for them to do then I'll make it so. Have lunch with me.'

Harry blinked, ink dripping from the nib of the quill onto a particularly irritating report. 'Why would I have lunch with you?'

'You wanted me to want something.' He groused back.

'I didn't…' He closed his eyes, really wanting to bring his hand up and rub between his brows like Snape had always done in school; headache, painful, painful headache. 'I'm promised to Ron and Hermione for lunch, sorry.'

Malfoy's eyes darkened, 'Dinner then?'

'Again Malfoy, why would I have dinner with you?' He actually did bring his hand up this time to scrub between his brows; dropping the quill back into the opened ink pot.

'Because you can't have lunch with me, besides it isn't like you would have anything better to do? Unless you're on speaking terms with Weasley's sister again, you two are on and off like a pair of shoes…And Astoria is away on business, I've been going home to house elf cooked meals and a dining table that makes me feel uncomfortable, sitting at it by myself.' He had begun to mumble down at his own shoes as he spoke so probably missed the annoyed and pained look Harry was giving him.

He breathed, resolutely not thinking about that weird vivid dream from this morning.

'Fine'

Malfoy's head snapped up, 'What?'

'I said fine.' Harry breathed again. 'I'll have dinner with you and I am not on and off with Ginny like shoes, and that's a horrible analogy. We've come to an agreement of sorts…I'm an Auror…and…That is none of your business.' He shook his head and glared at the mug himself ~there better not have been anything in that~ 'I'm assuming of course that when you meant dinner, you meant tonight?'

He nodded, grey eyes still blinking behind his fallen forward strands of blonde.

'Then what time, where?'

'Seven and I suppose we can meet down the street at that little park, we can go to dinner from there; side-along. I don't expect you know very many places that aren't café's or diners.' He stared pointedly and Harry pointedly avoided his stare. 'Mm' he bobbed his head, 'I'll see you then, wear something decent.'

'It's just a work date Malfoy.' Harry laughed, though he did feel uneasy saying "date".

'Doesn't mean you can't dress well, Potter, see you tonight.' He waved behind him and disappeared around the doorframe; then reappeared, 'I didn't poison your coffee by the way, so it's alright to finish it.' He chuckled as he vanished once more—from Harry's annoyed, agonised features presumably. Was he really so transparent, about the coffee at any rate…?

[ ]

Harry sighed, scrubbing his hand through his wayward hair—it was even more flyaway tonight, though he supposed the wind wasn't helping his cause; he'd been trying to make it sit relatively flat for the last 20 minutes with obvious lack of success—Every time he managed to get one flick down another got blown up instead. It was a continuous irritating cycle.

The prat was late. He shoved his watch under his nose again; low lighting in the park, and tried to see the lit numbers—7:30. The prat was a half hour later, if he was going to be any later, Harry was going home; damn the prat and his office tantrums. He'd deal.

He started to turn to the closed iron gate 10 minutes later, hands in his pockets when a voice rang out behind him and a hand clasped his bent elbow, 'I'm sorry.'

Harry turned slowly, blinking slowly; he can't have heard that right, 'Excuse me?'

'I said I was sorry, Potter. Something happened with the project I'm working on, I couldn't get away and then I got carried away watching the result unfold…I forgot.' He let go when he presumed Harry wasn't going anywhere, scrubbing at the back of his head. Harry crossed his arms as he stood facing the alabaster adult; it was a stare that he'd seen aimed at him several times before and he knew it worked to quell you.

Apparently it even worked on Malfoy's.

'You look particularly put together for someone that claims they got caught up in work?' He looked him up and down; arms still crossed and kept his uncaring features.

He was beginning to frown 'You sound like Astoria…' He shook himself and scrubbed across one side of his face. 'I hate guilt trips, look, I apologise Potter but can we perhaps leave now for the restaurant? I have connections there, so it isn't a particularly huge deal.' He waved around and grabbed for Harry.

'I am not guilt tripping.' Well, not on…yeah it was on purpose but he was annoyed.

'Sure you aren't Potter.' Malfoy nodded at him disbelievingly as he took a hold of Harry's arm in a tight grip and spun them; they arrived with a jerk and Harry falling forwards to catch himself against the alley wall, heaving in breaths. He really hated wizarding travel.

He grouched as he righted himself, brushing down his clothes, cheeks pink as he heard snickering behind him; he glared when he turned to see the blonde's lips quirked upwards in one of the recent emotions; amusement. 'Shut up.'

'Of course, Potter.' He continued to snicker as he walked them to a posh restaurant. Apparently they were in the new side alley that had been constructed after the war; this was where the high class restaurants were built, that and the more expensive, classy, sex shops. Harry blinked as he saw a flashing obscene sign in his peripheral, and quickly looked in the total opposite direction; which happened to be Malfoy's smirking face.

'Something the matter, _Harry.._?'

Harry couldn't help the shiver that rose up and down his spine at his name whispered on the blonde's lips like that; he physically shook himself and mentally growled at himself before shaking his head **at** the blonde.

'Mm, well alright then…We had a reservation earlier this evening but matters got in the way of us arriving on time would there be any way that you could get us in now?' He had on a charming manipulative smile and Harry stared with narrowed eyes.

'Why of course Mister Malfoy, for two is it?' The Maître d' smiled innocently, purple eyes flicking between Harry and Malfoy surreptitiously beneath a black fringe glittering with golden leaves. There was something suspicious about this. Harry stared at the researcher as they were ushered toward a table on an upper floor patio.

'Yes Potter?' He asked as their waiter left, not before pouring them two large glasses of a rich red wine; it smelled very sweet but Harry didn't think he'd ever be able to recognise what it was; as it was he didn't drink the stuff.

'Connections huh..?' He asked eyes narrowed.

'Yes.' He was looking at the menu.

'Are you sure you didn't mean bribery?'

'Did you see money change hands down there?' he pointed downward without even looking up from the fancy booklet.

'You're a Ministry Employee.'

'Are you reprimanding me, Potter?' He looked up then, his face a picture of bemusement. 'Well…' he went on, 'trying too anyway?' 'You aren't very good at it; perhaps you should leave reprimands to Granger?'

'I'm not trying too…Never mind, forget it, I don't want to know. You know you can't keep calling Hermione, Granger right? She's three months away from being married.'

'Ah yes, to Weasley. A shame they won't be experiencing the joys of letting loose on your honeymoon or having that just married feeling.' He'd gone back to staring at the menu.

'What do you mean?' Harry frowned at him.

'Granger's pregnant isn't she?'

Harry's eyes widened, 'How did you know that?'

'Occasionally walked passed the girls lavatory on the fourth floor, heard hacking, saw Granger exiting holding at her stomach; she looks pregnant.' He shrugged.

'And you would know what pregnant looks like?' He continued to frown, clutching at his jeans under the table; he was feeling very out of place here, with Malfoy. The blonde seemed to jerk at the question which raised a few more questions unrelated, but the researcher recovered too quick and shrugged, 'Pansy has a 3 year old kid, I was there for the birth; horrible experience. She almost cursed me in a fit of rage, took her five hours to give birth, and I'm not even the father…would have been horribly unfair; luckily the nurses subdued her after that…' 'Do you want to take a look at the menu?' He shoved it across the table and shoved the rim of his wine glass to his lips to stop any more word flow.

Harry twitched in curiosity; it hadn't sounded like a…complete lie. He clasped at the menu and stared unseeing down at it for several minutes before he realised that he couldn't read a single thing written on it. 'Is this French?' he asked.

'Of course, it's a French restaurant Potter.'

'I can't read French, Malfoy. I have no idea what any of this says.' He widely waved the menu around and accidently hit the waiter returning to their table in the side. He cringed, 'Sorry' and quickly put the menu back on the table, shoving his hands under the golden table cloth.

'Honestly Potter, can't take you anywhere. I do apologise, we'd like two of my usual please uh and could you bring a different wine for the dish please; this one doesn't go with it at all, terribly lacking in flavour.'

'Yes sir.' He bowed, writing away on his pad, he then bowed himself out.

'Come here often then?'

'Occasionally'

'Right…' Harry bowed his own head, mumbling down at the table. 'Do you might if I excuse myself to use the loo?' He pointed without any real emotion to the fancy side near the back of where they were seated.

'Go for it.' He waved.

[ ]

'Have a drink Potter, you might feel better.'

Harry blinked as he started to seat himself, not expecting the blonde to come out of some trance to speak to him. 'I'm feeling fine.'

'You're uncomfortable, it's alcoholic. Relaxation comes with the title besides it's a good year of wine; you should like this one.' He pushed the glass further toward Harry and pointedly stared until Harry finally found his butt in the chair and his lips around the rim.

'Well?'

'…It's good…A bit tart.'

'It's wine, Potter.' He laughed once.

'I know that Malfoy…' He grouched, pressing his lips back to the glass and taking another sip, rather this one was probably more of a gulp—it was a wonder he didn't cough it all over the blonde before him but he didn't, working to swallow it.

[ ]

'I wanna leave.'

'What?'

'I wanna leave.'

'What for..? We haven't had dessert yet.'

'I could have you, your sweet like dessert. You smell like dessert.' He reached across the table and brought a pale digit of the hand he'd caught into his mouth; he sucked it.

Malfoy physically swallowed, grey eyes searching the room for onlookers; there were a few and those few were clearly staring at them aghast. 'Potter, you, that's, **fuck**.'

'Can I?'

'Hnnn…'

'Can I Draco? Can I have you for dessert?'

' **Fuck** , not here.' Draco scrapped back his chair in his haste to stand, almost toppling it over into the people a few paces away having a romantic dinner. He slammed galleons onto the table and practically dragged Harry out of the restaurant, down the alley and with one spin and hissing utterance; they fell heavily onto a sofa.

Within a few seconds both of them were shirtless, Harry was down to his bulging underwear in Gryffindor colours and Draco was utterly naked, only one leg still inside his own Slytherin coloured underwear; they were of course still loyal to Hogwarts.

~I shouldn't be doing this~

Harry moaned into Draco's neck, Draco moaned into the living room.

~I really shouldn't be doing this but **FUCK** ~

Harry licked a stripe up Draco's naked sweat glistening neck; it was hot in the living room. He sucked in the lobe of Draco's ear and brought his lips up and around the rim of the entire ear; he stuck the tip of his tongue into the ridge and then blew across the wet flesh. Draco moaned pitifully into the couch armrest, partly into his own bent up arm; Harry's hand was encasing Draco's wrist as his body started to grind into Draco's naked erect cock. 'Mm, tastes so sweet.'

Draco shuddered, ~Fuck I really shouldn't be doing this, why did this happen again!?~

He shuddered again as Harry's cock was pulled out by the man himself and rubbed flesh to glorious flesh against Draco's; his was starting to weep, leaving a smear of pre-cum across his supple toned alabaster flesh.

~Why the fuck are you so susceptible!?~ He moaned loudly and groaned gutturally as Harry brought their lips together, their tongues battling, performing a ritualistic wet dance inside hot increasingly orgasmic caverns.

[ ]

'Fuck'

'Fuck'

'Fuck'

He laughed into his mouth, ignoring as spittle dribbled out the side of their mouths and down their chins as he pounded his hard shaft into Draco's pliable body. It wasn't the first time tonight either, it was at least their eighth; he was even more painfully aroused and more painfully high on stamina then before; Draco swore.

~Why Potter, why are you so fucking sensitive to this?! I shouldn't be doing this! But you're just so… **FU** ~ ' **FUCK!** ' Draco's body jerked again as Harry's cock slammed hard into his prostate, eliciting another orgasm between them. It was then that unfortunately the door creaked open and a womanly voice rang across the room.

His eyes immediately slammed shut and remained that way as he heard her yell and heard her stomping and heard the young cries and felt as Potter only remained conscious to be threatened (unheard by the idiot) twice by Astoria.

'Get him out of my house, Draco!'

'I'm sorry.'

'I don't want to hear it; I don't, Draco, not now.'

The fact that there was a "not now" in that angered sentence gave Draco a little hope that his marriage wasn't ruined by this idiocy. He needed this marriage even if he didn't love Astoria Greengrass; and she knew it.

[ ]

'Nnn' He turned over and cursed as he fell straight off the mattress. Rubbing at the back of his head and back, he sat up onto his arse. 'Nnn' he looked around, but as he wasn't wearing any glasses he couldn't see; he pushed himself up to standing by using the bed, when he was on his feet and found his glinting glasses in the lamp lights; which were apparently on, he noticed that he was in his own room, in his own house and yet…he had no recollection of getting home; and he was pretty sure Malfoy didn't know his address…He paused on that, there was actually a pretty high possibility the prat knew where Harry lived, let alone how to get inside Harry's house to deposit his drunk ass on his bed; he knew of course that he was indeed very much hungover—his fall didn't seem to be doing him any favours there either as he felt his stomach lurch and he rushed for the toilet bowl.

[ ]

'Urg' he groaned, head falling back against the cool tiles of his bathroom wall. He felt like absolute shit and the fact that he was pretty sure he fucked Malfoy in his dreams again wasn't making him feel any better. 'Do I really like Malfoy? Why?'

'Probably because you followed the prat around for an entire year in school, had a rivalry from the moment you met, were constantly at each-other's throats our entire school careers and yet what's that saying? "There's a fine line between love and hate?" oh and there's that other one, 'They're two sides of the same coin, you can't have one without the other?" Maybe that's why?'

Harry closed his eyes and reopened them to find his best mate leaning in his bathroom doorway, 'Ron.'

'Harry.' He shook his head. 'What the hell did Malfoy give you last night, you look terrible.'

'Thanks' Harry groused 'And nothing, I think, we had a nice enough dinner though by half way through I've no memory of it. I don't think wine quite agrees with me.'

'Alcohol doesn't agree with you mate. Don't you remember your 21st birthday?'

Harry blinked up as he started to crawl his way up to a standing point by use of the wall.

'Take that as a no?'

Harry shook his head negatively.

'A few pints and you were 10 sheets to the wind mate. Haven't noticed I take it that ever since, we've tended to keep you away from the stuff?' He raised his eyebrows.

Harry blinked, grabbing at the side of his head, '21st…running naked down the street?' He questioned, closing his eyes in agony as he got a glimpse of naked toned body and hard winter reddened cock. There was another flash of something to do with red paint, snow, a bottle of Firewhiskey, two guys, three girls, and a bar counter too.

Ron stared as Harry looked upwards, hand still against his head. 'Mmhm' he hummed, nodding once his bright orange head.

'Fuck' Harry swore, 'I hope I didn't do anything…' He left the rest unsaid and hoped that what he'd woken up to, wasn't something he'd actually done; not that apparently he minded that but he minded if he destroyed somebody's happy marriage.

'Well…you did have a revelation, realising that you might be into either genders or maybe just Malfoy-sexual. Maybe that was your alcoholic consequence? Ah! The hangover too; obviously'

'Obviously' He almost went to roll his eyes but refrained on the last second; that wouldn't have been a good idea. He questioned however in bemusement, his best friend's words. 'Malfoy-sexual…?'

'Mm' he nodded, 'why not? It is you, mate. Though why you would be Malfoy-sexual is only something you could explain, you and Merlin.'

Harry laughed awkwardly, moving himself out of the bathroom with hangover remedy in hand from the top cabinet; he downed the concoction in one swallow and thrust his hand against his mouth to keep it in when he felt it rise.

He heaved a breath, 'What are you doing here anyway?'

'Oh, that. Hermione and I wanted to see if you'd like to come with us and pick out some stuff for the wedding ceremony? As best-man and all, you will won't you?' Ron stared as if he thought Harry would say no because of his night and because if they were asking him it meant that Ginny was going to be there too-Maid of Honour and all. Harry stared and then blinked, spreading a smile across his face before turning tail and heading back into the bathroom; he called out and was rewarded by Ron's chuckling.

'I'll wait downstairs then!'

''kay!' Harry shouted back as he stepped into the spray of the shower.

[ ]

They went to lots of different cake stores, groomsman stores (even muggles ones), went and checked out places they could have the after wedding party (they didn't want to hold it at Ron's Mother's not since the last wedding had been gate-crashed by Death Eater's; some were still on the loose) and they separated so Harry could by them wedding presents and Hermione's baby-shower presents; by the time Harry was allowed to retire and head home; he was exhausted.

He was so exhausted that he didn't realise that during a brief walk through various new alley's spanning off Diagon, he'd actually gotten a whiff of something sweetly familiar and yet had no idea why that smell had been familiar.

He collapsed onto his living room sofa and fell into an exhausted sleep. When he woke up, he was back off to work to do desk duty; he recognised the sweet smell whilst walking down the hallway to his office too but shook it off consciously this time.

Probably just somebody eating something sweet

[ ]

As his desk duty spanned another two weeks, Harry not allowed to even see any new cases that rolled in for the Auror Office (he was starting to believe he'd actually been permanently demoted to desk duty), occasionally he'd find that sweet smell assaulting his nostrils and yet there was something about it, something he couldn't put his finger on; he'd followed it several times only to be pulled up short at the elevators and stared at by employees, as he had his head down and his neck thrust out, eyes almost entirely closed as he walked forwards.

He'd smelt it strongly one day as he was heading to the coffee room, only for it to quickly vanish around the corner; he'd seen Malfoy hurrying out of the room with a large mug of steaming coffee in trembling hands, his hair a mess (like he'd not brushed it in days) and his coat ends singed; he'd looked quite frazzled rushing toward the elevators. To be honest this was one of the only times Harry'd seen the blonde since their work dinner; he'd wanted to apologise for getting drunk but hadn't been able to find time to go down to the blonde's department and don't get him started on even finding the right door to go through down there; he had no idea.

He'd only been seeing glimpses, though it wasn't like he wasn't getting glimpses of everybody else these days; shit he'd only gotten a glimpse of Ginny the other day.

He'd also only been getting glimpses of those dreams of him and Malfoy too; it was strange. Sure they were still there but they weren't as vivid or as intense as they had been before—it was curious.

He was as of right now, trying to worm his way toward his Auror Head's office but he had several people come up to him and ask if he'd done his reports, some had even told him that the Head wasn't in and others had said that the man didn't want to see Harry until he'd come to his senses; obviously something to do with why his reports were an ongoing thing now. He grumbled under his breath and walked quickly around another pair trying to fight their way to him through the chaos that was currently happening in the Auror Office; something for which Harry had no idea about.

He practically hammered the glass windowed door of Head Auror Gawain Robards then froze as it was being opened and he was slammed against the opposite wall of the opening door; his breath left him in a wheeze as his eyes widened upon them reopening.

It was a woman and if he knew currently, remembering the articles in the papers; this was 'Mrs Malfoy' he breathed, trying to remove himself from the wall. It was however not allowing this, his jacket was stuck to it; he frowned as she advanced, her wand in her fingers—painted a rich black. She was glaring through her dark waves.

He flicked his eyes around at the rest of the office, no one was coming to his aid in fact some had just turned back to their offices or partners and resumed conversations previously halted by this. Robards was framed by his own door, his head sticking half way out with eyebrows drawn upwards.

'You are the bane of my existence.'

'I'm sorry?' Harry blinked.

'You have been a thorn in my side since day 1, Auror Potter.'

'Why?' Harry questioned, completely confused.

'I won't pretend like I loved Draco, we never dated, we didn't get engaged, and we were betrothed almost straight out of Hogwarts, after the war was over. We married for family, we married for our inheritances, we married to further our names but I thought I could get him to forget, I thought I could make him realise I was enough, that maybe someday he'd learn to love me as his own parents, as my parents did.'

Harry continued to blink in perplexity.

'But I started to realise that this was something I couldn't do because…of you.' She breathed. 'You are a constant in his life and until you are no longer in it can I start trying to get him to love me; properly. He loves me, to a certain extent but that isn't what I want. We are under contract, and he has violated that contract twice now; knowingly. I want you to stay away from him, but I know I can't ask him to stay away from you…He hasn't been home in two weeks because I yelled at the both of you.' She hissed, brandishing her wand in Harry's slowly comprehending face.

Her wand started to lower and Harry fell from the wall, his feet touching properly back down to the carpeted flooring. He took a swallow. 'Astoria I am not…'

'But you are.' She whispered. 'You being in his life is something he needs but he can't divorce me either; he needs me too.' Her voice stayed a whisper as she lost her sails; she had clearly come to defend her home life, she had clearly come to threaten Harry; she had come to threaten Harry **again**.

Harry stood silent as she started to turn around, 'I'm not dreaming am I?'

He wasn't sure what she replied to when he came back to his senses, but he knew her words meant something big, 'No, you aren't Auror Potter.' It was a few more minutes before he hackled with his Auror Head and was allowed to **finally** get back into work,  
(more like had a screaming match and threatening to quit) real work, real out in the world, hunting dark wizards, work. Harry spent all the next week thinking about the scene at the Office as he prepared to go out on a case.

It wasn't until another week later when he'd gotten back into things and had some time as he finally wrapped up his correct report that Harry traipsed down to the ninth level, stood in the circular room and picked a door at random, sloshing his mugs of afternoon coffee. When he stepped in and saw chaos, he smiled; perfect.

'Anyone in?!' he called out, holding up the mugs.

Things immediately froze.

'Potter'

'Malfoy, my, aren't you looking frazzled beyond words. What is all this?' He walked over and set the mugs down to fiddle with a few of the revolving instruments, winding tubes and vials filled with shimmering liquids.

'Don't touch those!'

Harry took a quick step back with his hands raised in surrender, 'Sorry…' he mumbled 'I bought you coffee; you look like you could use it. Take a break, Malfoy.' The blonde blinked up, goggles bouncing on the top of his head and sliding sideways. Harry made a convincing face as he nodded his head and pushed the mug a few inches closer.

Malfoy breathed but he did flip out his wand and spell the apparatus on his desk top.

When they were safely seated in a sanctioned off area (Harry assumed it was used as the Researchers "coffee room" when they couldn't leave their projects completely unattended), Harry sipped at his coffee and watched the blonde surreptitiously beneath lowered lashes.

'Your wife came by the Office a week ago.'

The blonde jerked, coughing his coffee back into his mug. 'What?' he wheezed.

Harry nodded, 'Unsure what she wanted, she left almost immediately.' He lied smoothly.

'Oh…'

'Maybe she was looking for you?'

'Probably' he mumbled.

'Does she know you're a Mysteries Employee?'

'To a certain extent' he continued to mumble.

Harry placed his mug down and looked toward the doors, 'You know, I apologise for a few weeks back, at our dinner, I've been meaning to come by but you know how hard it is for anyone else to get in here and I've only just gotten back into the field…It's been hectic in the Auror Office, seems it's not much different down here.'

'…We had a break through and a few spectacular explosions…Its fine.'

'It's not fine, I got drunk; I don't remember half of what we discussed at dinner let alone how I got home; I'm assuming that was you though?' He questioned, turning back.

The blonde was nodding, 'You were lucid enough to lean against the wall while I got your keys; you might want to fix the stipulation of "Walking in with the owner of the house" otherwise anyone could walk in with you; you might be with a serial killer and you wouldn't know it until you let them in and they killed you.'

Harry blinked in disbelief, 'Wow.'

'It's true, your wards are flawed.'

'Are you a serial killer then, Malfoy?'

'Of course not' He dismissed. 'Just fix it, you're an Auror, you're constantly in danger of being stalked and killed by dark wizards and their families wanting revenge. Take proper precautions with your home, it's just bad vigilance; shouldn't you be almost paranoid?'

Harry frowned, getting annoyed, he took a sip of tea and almost spat it back out; he swallowed it though and froze for a moment as his spell overrode the one coursing through his system. ~Hello~ 'I am not paranoid.' He whispered. He could still feel the desired effects but they were considerably dulled—he played to them.

[ ]

They were kissing and Malfoy was moaning when Harry leaned backwards, as if intending to do something better, like unclothe them, but he moved his mouth to the blonde's ear and whispered into it, 'Just what is it that you do down here Malfoy? Just what is it about me that makes you unable to resist drugging my drinks with your project?' He pushed his cock forward as the blonde jerked beneath, unable to move much more than that because Harry had him grounded to the cushions, his hands on Malfoy's arms keeping them stuck to the armrests, his body pushing Malfoy's back into the backrest of his chair. 'Just what is it that makes you believe that doing this to your wife, and your **child** , is right?' He moved back and glared as he stood over the blonde, wand in his hands and a dulling light dissipating from the tip; Malfoy went to stand too, eyes wide and mouth open as he blinked in disbelief, but he couldn't. Harry'd spelled him glued to the chair.

'This is wrong. Drugging me is wrong, in fact it's illegal. Having several affairs with me behind your wife's back is wrong. Having affairs, knowing that it could ruin the marriage that you need, knowing you have a small child at home, is wrong.' He heaved a heavy breath and crossed his arms.

Malfoy was staring up at him looking troubled.

'I lied Malfoy, I saw Astoria, she glued me to the wall, she threatened me again, she made me realise, after she said a lot of stuff about contracts, that I haven't actually been dreaming those times when I know I hadn't fallen asleep; you were drugging me and making me believe I was dreaming them.' He ground his teeth together as he closed his eyes briefly. 'I will make myself clear here, **Draco** , I am in no way your toy, I am in no way going to fuck you again, I am in no way going to be the cause of you destroying your own family; children need their parents. I am also going to repeat my words to you the first time you did this to me down here.' He pointed. 'You will pay.'

Malfoy remained silent, his mouth closing on a breath.

Harry turned around, flicking his wand behind him as he turned the corner. As he got to the door, winding his way around the chaos, he was grabbed by his elbow.

'I know I shouldn't have done it, I didn't know you would be so sensitive to it, I didn't know you'd be a brilliant test subject for it, I didn't know that it was so potent that it would affect me too; from you. It seeped from you. You were just so…susceptible to it. I knew weren't going to like what I asked of you, so I acted like I'd never asked but I don't love Astoria and I know I shouldn't be having affairs, least of all with men, with you, but I don't want to have sex with her, I made an heir, I love her, but I don't love her that much. We were contracted to marry by our families, to produce heirs for them but it took her years to even have Eleanora; it was horrible, she'd lost one before, she almost lost her and Nora isn't healthy—she's constantly falling ill, and I know why. She was cursed by me; I was cursed by Death Eater's in battle, because I betrayed them, and those curses transferred through my sperm. I do not want to put her through that again…But we can't divorce, it's in our contracts. I can't have affairs either, but I have and I know something bad is going to happen because I did and the contract said I wasn't allowed too.'

Harry turned his head; he was blinking at the rambling blonde.

'I know I need Astoria, and I know she needs me but we aren't happily married. I know she was trying and for a little so was I, but I just can't. I just can't love her the way she wants me too. I don't want to be married to her anymore but our contracts can't be torn up; they're life-long or well…until we bear another heir; a male. But I really can't put either of us through that again. I also know that were we to divorce Nora would be taken with Astoria because she's an heiress, not an heir. She'd have her name magically changed back to Greengrass as would her mother. I don't want that, I love Nora.'

The hand around Harry's elbow was tightening the longer he allowed Malfoy to ramble.

'I'm…I'm sorry, Potter. I can compensate you, I'll pay you. You can get the royalties from the project when it goes on market; I'm sure it'll be extremely popular…And it isn't like it'd be real cheap or anything—it was something we contracted, since it took a lot of time to formulate…and test…and reformulate…We've only just finished it today; that's why there's some much chaos down here.' He finally looked up with darkened grey eyes and pale face that was paler than usual.

Harry breathed out; he wasn't sure what to say. He slowly extracted Malfoy's hand from his person and turned to face the blonde properly, staring with emerald eyes filled with anger and pity. 'Bring Eleanora to me; I dabble in curse-breaking. As for bearing an heir, I'm not sure I can help you with that but is it a must you produce an heir with Astoria?'

Malfoy blinked, frowning. 'It says in our contract we must produce an heir.'

'You have an heiress. If your heir came from someone else, would it matter?'

'What do you mean, like a surrogate?' he was still frowning.

'Not exactly…Astoria would have nothing to do with it…She would be free from the pain of giving birth or the possibility of loss, as you would be…in a way. As for compensation, I don't want hush money Draco, I wanted an apology, and you gave me that, a sincere one. But as you did actually use me and I'm pretty sure that you probably accidently used a little more of me than you realise in your sex pills—I'll take the royalties you're offering.'

Malfoy's frown increased at Harry's words, 'What?' he asked.

'Depends on what you were using in those pills, but I'm sure there was a reason I was so susceptible to them, why you were drawn in by them when you weren't taking them…' Harry rubbed at his head, he had a long standing secret; one that no one but himself knew about—he'd found it out at the beginning of his sixth year, and had researched endlessly to know exactly what it was. 'Well…Now I know what department you work in down here; I'm not sure I like knowing it though.' He grumbled the words.

'Right…' Malfoy fumbled over the words.

'If you don't want to fuck your wife, Malfoy then fuck your own hand. It'll save you the heartache of being punished for having affairs; it probably won't satisfy you but it'll get rid of any arousal you suddenly are sprung with. Don't do this again.' Harry shook his head. 'When you have the time, or even tell Astoria, bring Eleanora to me. To my house, my boss doesn't know I dabble…neither do my friends.' 'I'll be watching for the money.'

Malfoy nodded, he was still looking troubled.

Harry went to turn the doorknob.

'Potter' he grabbed Harry's jacket this time.

'Yes?' He asked, not turning around.

'What did you mean?'

'About what, Malfoy…?'

'About heirs…'

Harry stared at the door, 'With some research on your part, extensive research, a look at your own pill contents; with a few of those pills in my system, mine alone, you could wind up with that heir you desperately want, or need, it doesn't matter, but Astoria will not have anything to do with it so if you aren't allowed to do that, I'm sorry I can't help you and I'm afraid neither would a surrogate if you want to go that path instead; it would allow Astoria to be the mother of your possible son, as it would allow you to be the father, but someone else would carry that child for you. Those are your two options; talk it over with your wife.' He turned the knob and walked out—Malfoy's hand falling from his back. 'I'll see you when you bring your hidden child to me. Goodbye Draco.'

He was sure he heard a heavy sigh and another apology as the door closed behind him and he was left in the dark circular room again; he turned briefly before the room spun to stare at the blank black shimmering door of the "Love room." Of course Malfoy would be part of that department in the Department of Mysteries. He shook his head as he tried to find the way out into the Ministry hallway.

[ ]

Several days later as Harry was resting at home from a particularly gruelling case, a patch over his left cheek and his left hand barely able to move in a bandage, his wards went off—it jerked him out of a mild dose as he fell off the sofa to hit the coffee table with his hip.

'Fuck!' he swore loudly. He was rubbing at his bruised side as he slammed open the door in irritation; it hit the wall and three sets of wide eyes greeted him down the path at the locked gate of his garden. He hurried down the path, and opened it to let the three of them in; they glowed briefly as he muttered below his breath and stepped into the house, closing the door behind them.

'Did we interrupt something?'

'No.' He grouched, and then he changed his tone as they remained standing in the entry. He stared at the half hidden face of the young girl cradled in her father's arms. He smiled encouragingly at her as she blinked with pink eyes half covered over by blonde forelocks.

She was cute though her eyes were an unusual colour.

'Hello there, my name is Harry.'

She hid the rest of her young face and Harry's face split into a true smile.

'I'm not scary, am I?' He looked up at Malfoy and the prat snorted, shifting his daughter higher on his hip as she clung to his shirt. 'Hmm, would you like some chocolate?' He whispered the words at the little girl and she shifted a centimetre back toward Harry. He held out a small block, undoing the wrapping, 'See I had this teacher once that said chocolate made everything better; he was always handing it out. I reckon it's the best.' He held out the small corner he snapped off and waited to see if she'd grab it; she did.

It was sucked quickly into a mouth and his smile widened as she turned in her hold to stare fully at him, blinking behind her hair. He moved his hand up and shifted the strands before anyone of them could stop him, 'you've such a pretty face, you shouldn't hide it.'

She giggled as she sucked the chocolate.

'Now your daddy thought I might be able to help you, do you think you'll give me a shot?'

She nodded slowly and held out her arms, one hand entirely covered in smeared chocolate; Harry flicked his eyes to both parents before taking the small child into his own arms; he cringed a little as her sticking hands fell onto his neck and the back of his head; well that's what he got for giving a three year old chocolate.

'Why don't we go down to my office and we can see what I can do?' He stared at them as they nodded and he turned tail and headed toward his office; it was a large room. He'd needed the space to accommodate for the several bookcases that lined three and half walls so had actually demolished part of the house to rebuild it—almost immediately upon buying the house. He had a few filing cabinets pressing up against each other in one corner beside a big window, almost floor to ceiling that let in most of the light though he did have lights connected into electricity as he had a computer on one side of his desk, a few frames of his friends and a few odd trinkets he was tinkering with; this was one place that Ginny had never actually been allowed into, which he was sure had bothered her a great deal; but this was his space.

He had a few scrolls and such half opened on his tabletop that he quickly grabbed with one hand and shoved into draws; they were part of his secret. He stared at the pink eyes bearing up at him from one side and put his finger to his lips as the duo followed him into the office; their eyes widening upon just how big it was, and how "disorganised" and crowded with books it was.

'Since when do you read?'

Harry frowned as he dropped his finger, 'I happen to read a lot.'

'You didn't in school; didn't Granger do most of your homework?'

'No, she didn't. I did actually study when I had the time, when I was able too over the summers at my relatives. Aren't you the one that did Crabbe and Goyle's homework?'

Malfoy looked away with his jaw clenched and pressed his fingers to a few well-worn books in the bookcase closest to the doorway. 'These have been read a lot.'

'Yes they have, they are the main books I go to for my dabbling's. Would you like to see if I can do anything for young Eleanora here?' They nodded, turning to face him. 'You may sit down if you like, instead of hovering.' He gestured to a leather sofa on the wall that was only half covered by bookcases. 'Now, do you know what curses you were cast with? Or what ones you might have transferred?' He sat on the edge of his desk, mindful of sitting on anything.

'Well…In the first place I think it was a miracle she was conceived at all. I'm sure I was cursed with an impotency curse at some point.'

Harry blinked, he could see that. 'Fair enough, go on.'

Malfoy frowned and grumbled but did so, twisting his hands in his lap. 'It's the only one I know the name of Potter, if it were that simple she would have been cured by now by the same healers that did their best for me; I still occasionally have bouts of babbling, oh, babbling curse, and I still occasionally shake when I'm doing something; I expect that has something do with nerves.' He shrugged uneasily, Astoria's hand pressing to his twisting ones.

Harry watched, nodding slowly. 'Does she babble?'

'Sometimes, but I'm not sure it's a curse. She's three.' Astoria answered.

'Does she talk very much then?' He asked.

Malfoy looked toward Astoria, in question and Harry flicked his eyes between them. It seemed though Malfoy loved his daughter a great deal, it didn't appear that he knew all that much about her activities, he asked before he could receive an answer; in curiosity.

'Are you ever at home Draco?'

He blinked up, 'When my work doesn't have me staying at the Ministry over-night, yes.'

'So you spend time with Eleanora?'

'Of course, what exactly are you trying to imply, Potter?'

'I'm not trying to imply anything Malfoy; I am simply trying to understand why you keep looking to your wife for the answers I'm seeking. That in itself implies that you aren't home all that often to spend time with your ill daughter. I assumed that you would know answers Draco, not be getting them from Astoria.'

Malfoy's jaw clenched.

'It isn't Draco's fault, Potter.'

'Isn't it?' He asked. 'A father should know what his daughter is going through, a father should know what his daughter does during the day, a father should…'

'A father isn't always there.' Draco interrupted his tone hard.

'No, but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't try. Be a better father.'

'I'm trying!' He shouted, anger rising in his tone.

Eleanora jumped in Harry's arms and Harry stared at Malfoy with disapproval. 'Astoria does she talk very much?' His eyes moved back to the brown haired woman.

'Not very much…'

'Then I'll carefully assume it's a babbling curse as well. Does she shake like Draco?'

'Not that I've seen but she has once or twice jerked in her sleep…I was worried when we brought her home from St. Mungo's—it was a few days later, I was at home and Draco was at the Ministry, she was asleep. I went in to check her and she was thrashing in her cot but I haven't seen it since…' She was frowning and now it was Draco's hand over hers.

'Hmm…' He hummed and placed the child back in her mother's arms for a moment. He could actually feel slight shivers racing through the girl's tiny body. For three she actually looked like she was still only a year old; she was so tiny. He moved around the room and ran his fingers over the bookshelves. He was searching for the books he thought would be most helpful—he was sure he possessed the ones he was thinking about. 'Ah!' he made a noise as he found them all piled together in the centre of his back-wall bookcases. He spun around with them in his arms and threw them heavily down on the desk, spreading them out; he opened them to the right pages. He pushed his glasses back up his nose as they slipped down and ran his fingers over the text within. 'Astoria may you please sit on this.' He waved his hand without thought and conjured a large sterilised table.

He walked with purpose forward and smiled at the clinging girl, he lowered himself awkwardly to stare into the once again half covered face. 'Do you mind if I cast a few spells? They'll only tickle a little, it'll feel like this.' He conjured a feather again without thought for his wand in his back pocket or the parents staring at him in awe and disbelief and brushed the feather over the little girl's cheek; she giggled, batting it away from her.

'Is that alright?' She giggled again and nodded. Harry nodded in reply and with a 'thank you very much young lady' he pressed his hand to her shoulder and closed his eyes.

He hoped he could at least control his shifting whilst in the presence of others. He'd never had anyone in his office before, so had been free to conjure and UN-conjure at will without any need for his wand, let alone with any worry about anybody seeing him shift.

He barely heard anything in his trance-like state but he heard the little girl giggling and heard the little gasps from behind and in front of him; he felt the shivers under his palm increase as well as he continued to mutter under his breath; searching her magical core, extracting the tendrils that were dangerous and threatening—there were quite a few.

Maybe he wouldn't mention that to Malfoy, no need to make the blonde feel worse about transferring his battle curses to his daughter.

[ ]

After a while he shifted away from the duo on his table and leaned against his desk, the side of his head dripping with sweat, running down underneath his comfy home shirt. He exhaled and inhaled shaky breaths with his eyes still closed and physically shuddered when someone's hand fell on his shoulder—he opened his eyes when Malfoy's voice, quiet and unsure, disbelieving entered into the room.

'You did wandless magic.'

'I did.' He whispered.

'You healed my daughter?' he questioned.

'I did.' He whispered.

'You have three tails.'

'Do I?' He whispered; his eyes closed again.

'You have fox ears.'

'Do I?' He whispered; opening his eyes.

'Potter exactly what are you, because you aren't human with those. Is that what you meant by extensively search and check my ingredients list?' He was frowning, the hand still hard and heavy on Harry's shuddering shoulder; it had taken a lot of energy to purge Malfoy's daughter of her illness.

'Perhaps…' He mumbled into his chest.

'No, Potter, give me answers. What did I take from you?'

Harry laughed humourlessly; moving his emerald eyes which were probably glowing up to the blonde's rearing back face. 'What didn't you take from me?' he questioned.

'What?' he frowned stepping back and putting his hands in his pockets.

'Well…You took my love from Ginny away, unconsciously, even I didn't know that. You took my dreams away from me because they're filled with you. You took my waking moments in the office away from me because you used me as a secret test subject. You took my "gay" virginity away from me.' He put quotations. 'You took my trust of you away—because I did trust you, to a certain extent.' 'You took my morals away from me.' 'And you took some of my magic away from me.'

'What?' Malfoy practically spat the word.

Harry nodded slowly, 'Your pills carry some of my magic Malfoy, some of my…essence. It is why you had the break through you had in the first place, I'm sure. It wouldn't be half as good as it is if some of my essence wasn't in those ingredients. I'm sure that one of the other ingredients is something like a variant on mistletoe because that affects me. It makes me…mildly unstable, I lose control of myself.'

Malfoy's grey eyes were flicking backwards and forwards as if he was recalling the times Harry had "lost control" after taking the pills. 'Oh' he whispered. Harry nodded again, it was as much of a confirmation of the ingredient as an actual "it's in there" would have been. He stared up at Malfoy, 'I did my absolute best to keep myself from losing control, I stayed away from mistletoe every Christmas even before I knew it affected me because I wasn't…any normal wizard.'

'So what are you?'

'You don't know? You have an idea, I can see it.' He waved his fingers before him, one hand still keeping him leaning against his desk. 'Take your wildest guess, Malfoy.'

The blonde frowned and took his daughter when she made a noise and asked for him, coming out of her little unconscious doze; she'd fallen into a similar trance as Harry had, as her magic had been purged of dark spells. 'My wildest guess huh?' He asked. 'Alright…Vulpes Rendao Zhyui—though they have been extinct for the last three thousand years, according to archives anyways…'

Harry scrubbed at his face, wiping away the sweat as it dried, brushing his hair back from his head and revealing that his scar was faded, barely visible but there was a vine coming down from the left side of his temple to his collarbone; he no longer had his tails and his ears, though apparently he'd only had one set. He looked up again, 'Are they?'

'…Aren't they?' he replied.

'The species have been "Extinct" according to archives but they aren't all gone, they're in hiding but do you blame them? When there were whole cities of them they were hunted and killed for their ears, their tails, hunters even bottled their blood and their **magic** because it was so powerful; when they shifted completely they'd be able to roam the lands as their spirit animals; as foxes but even then they were hunted, killed for the same things because they were special. They gave humans special abilities, they healed humans. They weren't safe, the ones that remained alive, the ones that produced offspring, so they hid; forever.'

'So you hid too?'

'I hid that part of me.' He supplied.

'When did you know?' he asked, stroking his daughter's waves.

'When I turned sixteen, though I assume I was a Vulpes Rendao Zhyui when I was born, it was probably locked away inside me but I probably did something and it unchained that part of me; I was sleeping when it happened on my birthday, I kept it hidden, I searched around wildly for why I was suddenly even more different and then when I found it, I knew I couldn't tell anyone, not even my friends.' His voice had taken on a heavy quality. 'I thought I could help you without showing it, but I've never had anyone in here and I'm always doing heavy magic in here unhidden.'

'We won't tell anyone, Potter.'

'No I don't suspect you will.' He levelled up his head again as it had dropped to his chest and lifted his hands to level them on both adults.

'Potter we won't tell anyone!'

'I can't take the risk that you won't let it slip, even accidently, I'm sorry. Could you image what people would do when they found out I was a Vulpes? They were regarded as Dark Beings too Malfoy, they were also hunted because people thought they were evil; humans, with animal characteristics with powerful magic more powerful then wizards and witches? I'm powerful enough, if they learn why…'

'Your Harry Potter, they aren't going too…'

'I have dark witches and wizards in my life on a daily basis Malfoy, I have every possibility that people will track me down and try and take something precious from me. Even accidently you took essence from me and you put it into a sex pill for human consumption; it is one property my species was used for back when they weren't "extinct" Malfoy.' His hands started to glow as he looked at them troubled.

'I apologised and you're even going to take earnings from the sales. I didn't mean to put essence of a **Vulpes** into my pills! People aren't going to wind up pregnant after taking those are they?' He stared worriedly and in annoyance and guilt.

Harry laughed and shook his head, 'No, Draco, they won't. What I said back in your department about those pills is something that only relates to me and I suppose any other Vulpes that ventures to take any of those.' He waved airily as if it would be their problem, not his. 'And the Vulpes' partner in that situation. Did you think about it?' He pointed a finger that was already up at Astoria.

'….We did.'

'And…?' Harry encouraged.

'We went over the contract a hundred times since you said it but it doesn't have any loopholes, we even took it to the law department and they couldn't find any loopholes. We have to bear our own heirs; we have to bear our own son.' He said.

'You can't even use a surrogate?'

'We could but it would put a lot of weight on their shoulders to bear us a healthy son, we'd be around them constantly, they would have to be someone we trust explicitly to do this for us, that could handle us in their faces for nine months, they would have to be someone that could birth a child and actually hand that child over to the rightful parents. They would have to sign a contract with us, in order for us to use a surrogate.'

Harry frowned, 'You would not use Parkinson?'

Malfoy shook his head, 'No.'

'Your sister, then…?' Harry questioned, staring at Astoria.

'Daphne's already pregnant and she already has a one year old on her hands, I couldn't ask her to do something like that for us.' She shook her head, coming to stand beside her husband and her daughter—who was sucking her still chocolate coated fingers.

'I could ask around for you? As a previous Gryffindor you know my judgements can be pretty good. I know a few women but I'm not sure if they'd do it for you, I can ask though.'

'You don't always have good judgement but why not?' He looked to his wife. 'Thank you.'

Harry nodded, walking them toward to the door; as he opened the door and Malfoy turned to say something-Harry with an apologetic look on his features, cast a spell at them. He'd allow them to remember, but he wouldn't allow them to talk to anyone about his species unless it was between them.

They shuddered, all three. Malfoy stared with anger and sadness.

'I'm sorry, you can talk about it between you but I can't allow you to even utter something around anyone about it. I am trusting you not to break my spells.' He stared pointedly until the head lowered. Before he opened the door, his hand on the handle, Malfoy's voice echoed around the entry.

'May I ask to see it?'

'You already did.'

His head shook, 'No, to see it completely.'

Harry heaved a breath, licked his lips, closed his eyes and then opened them; they were shining jewels behind silver frames, outlined by a deep red charcoal branded to his skin. His skin was almost as pale as the blonde's; the vines drew down from his left temple to his collarbone and encircled his neck once before simply fading out. His hair was no longer ebony but a copper (like his mother's) mixed with a silver white as the long ears on the top of his head were as they shifted in different angles, as the pointed ears angled out of his hair were tipped with the same red that encircled his eyes.

He spun at the look on Malfoy's features, the slightly parted mouth, and the pink tinged cheeks and consciously brushed the tips of his similarly copper and white coloured tails against the blonde's thighs, and then he spun back around, closed his eyes and blinked them open with normal emerald orbs reflecting in grey, tanned skin and ebony hair.

'There you go, Draco. Your mouth is shut remember?' The blonde head nodded silently. Harry opened the door, shaking himself and pressing down his clothes. 'Goodbye.' He leaned forward and whispered, smiling as the girl grabbed at his locks, 'Goodbye Nora.'

When they left, Harry slammed his door closed, shuddered out a deep breath and collapsed to his knees on the wooden floor—his energy was spent, and he was feeling increasingly jittery. Almost immediately he felt himself draw in a hissing breath and shift, his fingernails clawing at the floorboards as he turned into his fox; because of how long he kept this to himself, how long he kept himself hidden, even though he let half of it show in his office when he was alone, he never fully changed so this, this was painful, his entire shift in front of the door, the shift into his fox-form.

He lay claws dug deep into the floorboards for several minutes before he felt he could move from this sprawled position to a more comfortable spot in the house—without even realising he fell asleep the moment he jumped, sliding slightly, onto the sofa. He curled up and yipped as he drifted off into dreamland; he didn't notice anyone else come by until he was being hovered over and whispering itched at his flicking ears.

He blinked open fluorescent green eyes to blink up at the face of his ex-fiancé, one of her hands before his nose; quite frozen there and rustling happening in the background. It appeared she wasn't the only one in his house. He sat up and blinked as he yawned and her eyes widened, it wasn't until 'Is that thing Harry's? Is it rare or mutated? They don't usually have three tails right?' went through the room with Dean Thomas' voice, that Harry realised he wasn't human.

~FUCK~ He jumped from the couch, Ginny's body quickly stepping backwards, and rushed from the room, straight up the stairs (with some difficulty) and painfully transformed back into human; he made sure he was human in his bathroom mirror before traipsing down the stairs.

He yawned purposefully, a little unconsciously as he came down the stairs and entered into the living room. Scrubbing at his hair with one hand and just removing his other from his opened mouth, Harry asked what they were doing.

'I'm collecting some of my things Harry, we both knew that was coming right?'

Harry nodded slowly, 'With Dean?'

'We're friends.'

Harry nodded again, a bit disbelieving.

'Was that fox thing yours?'

'Fox thing?' Harry flicked his eyes to the side at Dean's words.

'There was a three-tailed fox asleep on your sofa.' He pointed around a box and a book.

'Oh, that. That was a thing I've been working on for my wards, I was told I needed better security so I decided to start working on something; seems it needs more work.'

'I'd say.' Dean replied, stuffing the book into the box.

Harry made an annoyed face but smiled politely as Ginny gave him a look from the corner of his vision; she was grabbing some things from the other side of the living room, putting them into another box. 'Would you like some more help?' He questioned.

'No, we're fine Harry. Did that happen on a case recently?'

He assumed she meant his hand and his cheek so he nodded before realising she wasn't facing him anymore, so verbally said yes. He moved to the kitchen through another doorway and started puttering about in there, filling the jug with water, putting it back in the fridge, watering the few plants that sat on the windowsill, mindlessly spelling the few dishes in the sink clean, making himself some sandwiches and a glass of grape juice and then came back out with a few mutterings about secrets and idiocy and security.

He sat heavily down on the sofa and watched the duo as they moved around his immediate vicinity; he obviously wasn't about to follow them around his entire house so sat there, clinging to the couch as they moved to different parts of the house unseen to him. She could have easily come with one of her brothers, Hermione, Luna, even her mother but she'd come with an ex-boyfriend from Hogwarts, really?

'….Do you want to carry a baby?'

'What?' Ginny spat as she came back into the living room.

'A know a couple that need a surrogate, I was wondering if you'd help them out?'

'Um…no, I don't think so; I want my first pregnancy to be my own.'

Harry nodded, mentally scratching her off the meagre list.

'Well…That's all there is I think, I might be back in the next few days if I can think of anything I've forgotten. Bye Harry.'

'Bye.' He waved, not looking at her or Dean as they left the house, closing the door loudly behind them. He took a heavy breath and rubbed at the back of his neck, over his face and grabbed a few strands of his hair, head lowered to his knees.

[ ]

Harry didn't see Malfoy again until three weeks later and by that time Harry had someone that would be a surrogate for Malfoy and Astoria but he wasn't sure if the blonde would take **her**. He sat in the coffee room when Malfoy entered, his lab coat singed again and the tips of his hair sticking up as if he'd been electrocuted.

'Are you playing with electricity in there too?'

The blonde jumped, spun and heaved out a breath, hand over his heart. 'No.'

Harry pointed at the blonde's head, 'You look like you've been electrocuted.' He laughed as the blonde quickly started patting down his spiky locks and started brushing down the rest of his clothes. 'I have a woman for you.' He said nonchalantly, sipping away at his sweet black coffee.

'What?' He jumped, spinning back around from the coffee machine; his words were echoed by a few employees that thought it was the right time for a midday coffee.

Harry stared around and stood up, moving to right behind the blonde and whispering in his quickly pink turning ear. 'I have a surrogate for you, she's willing but it depends on whether you would like to have her be your surrogate.'

'What does that mean?' he quickly shivered and shifted, grasping at his coffee.

Harry moved to grab his and they walked hurriedly from the break room. 'She's a bit…'

Malfoy stopped and turned, 'Who is it?' he narrowed his grey eyes on Harry.

Harry twitched, teeth clenching as he opened his mouth, and then he bit his lip, 'Luna.'

'Lovegood…?'

'She was a Ravenclaw you know and she's the only one that's said she'd do it. You don't want to use your friend and your wife doesn't want to use, let alone could use, her sister. This is the last person I can ask Malfoy, she's the **only** one that can and is willing to carry your child Draco, if you don't want someone nice if a bit odd carrying your baby then I can't help you.' He shook his head.

Malfoy exhaled heavily, 'I'll talk it over with Astoria tonight.'

'Alright then, how's Nora?'

'She's good, she's really good.' He started to smile and took a sip of his bitter coffee.

'That's great' Harry smiled back broadly; by the end of the day, right as Harry was packing up from coming back from a case, he was harassed by Malfoy. 'Yes?' He asked, the blonde was practically on top of him as he straightened from his desk.

'Can you send an owl to Lovegood?'

'You're going with her?' He asked.

'Astoria was apparently study partners with her back in school; I'd forgotten she was a year below us at Hogwarts. She says she's very nice and couldn't think of why she didn't think to ask her herself…I said it was probably because she's looney, she smacked me. I still have the red mark on my arm from lunch.' He even rolled up his sleeve to reveal the womanly red hand print. Harry's eyes widened.

'You mark easy don't you?'

Malfoy nodded with an air of annoyance, 'always have, I still have a few of your bruises.'

'My…' He shook his head, holding up his hand. 'Don't tell me, don't show me. I'll contact Luna as soon as I get home, I'm sure she'd like to meet you and get started as soon as possible; she was heading away to do some magizoologist stuff but is willing to put that on hold for a few months more; she said something about more research would be helpful as well.' He shrugged, shucking on his coat and grabbing his knapsack.

'Thank you for this Potter.'

'Don't mention it.'

[ ]

Nine months later found Harry actually being invited to the birth of Astrid Orion Malfoy. Unfortunately the birth lasted quite a while and they were stuck out in the waiting area with nothing to do but stare at the walls and Harry to watch Malfoy freak out because he was stuck out here with Harry instead of with Luna, his wife and his son.

Harry did his best to keep the prat calm but he wasn't getting very far so was extremely grateful when the prat's wife came out with a huge grin on her pale features, holding her arms out to drag the blonde to his feet and take him to see that newborn son of his.

Harry continued to sit there until a nurse came up to him and said that the Malfoy family would like to see him in the surrogate's room. Maybe now he'd know why he was being asked to come here.

'Be our son's godfather.'

Harry almost fell over as he stepped into the room, sliding the door closed behind him.

'What?'

'Be our son's godfather, please.'

Harry blinked, so he hadn't misheard that. 'Um…' he had no idea what to say he was already a godfather to three children; Teddy Lupin (Remus son), Fawn and Willow (Ron and Hermione's twin girl's) now Malfoy wanted him to be his son's godfather? 'Uh…Are you sure you would want that?' he questioned the couple.

'We're positive Potter, you gave us a solution.' 'Therefore…' He waved a hand around the bundle he was currently cradling in his elbow.

'Alright then…' He whispered. It was as he whispered this that the room flared a brilliant gold and only faded when Harry felt something in him jolt. He pressed at his chest as everyone blinked in befuddlement; as something flicked against the backs of his knees Harry pressed his hands to the fur, closing his eyes. 'I need to go.' He said quickly, trying to push the tails back inwards.

'Oh don't worry Harry, I've seen them; there very beautiful.'

Harry blinked, eyes turning to a lounging Luna. 'What?'

'I saw them during our last years at Hogwarts. You didn't seem to notice, I didn't alert you because it looked like you were quite upset. I saw them again when I was going to the prefect's bathroom that time I walked straight back out because you were in there…'

Harry continued to blink, 'you know?'

'Yes.'

'You haven't told anyone?' He questioned.

'Of course not, it's your secret to tell Harry.'

Harry nodded, 'thank you Luna.'

'Of course Harry, we're friends.'

Harry nodded back again, smiling gratefully at the white haired oddball. He spelled the room, locking the door and concealing it and let his tails stay there, swishing against the backs of his knees and backside; his ears flicked out with a jerk and made an involuntary fox noise before he could cough it away. He flushed crimson as Malfoy laughed.

'Why did you even shift?' it was asked after a moment.

Harry worried his lip, brushing his wondering tails away from his hip. 'I think…I may have just done more than become your son's godfather. I think I bonded with him.'

'What does that mean?'

He turned to a frowning Astoria, 'You know…I'm not actually sure.' It was after this that within the papers Malfoy and Astoria's divorce was splashed, the fact that their daughter was hidden for three years and they used a surrogate for their son; there entire home life was questioned in several different papers—Harry was even mentioned in it at being the one to "give" Malfoy a surrogate and was mentioned as being deemed the little male Malfoy's Godfather.

Harry frowned at the papers as he sat in the coffee room down in the Department of Mysteries. 'Well at least some of the rumours aren't true, though they have the foundations of the truths and you aren't married to Astoria anymore and you're both happy about it, and you're still able to see your daughter every day and she's still a Malfoy.' He stared up and smiled at the blonde across from him; he was glaring into his mug. 'What?'

'Are you going to fuck me now?'

Harry blinked, unable to help his uproarious laugh. 'Easy there Malfoy, when I believe you've earned the right then I might just fuck you for eternity, yes.'

The blonde grouched again into his coffee mug but there were smirking twitches at the corners of his lips—they suggested Harry was going to be in for an interesting tempting manipulation by the blonde prat.

Quite possible the end…


End file.
